“Carty gets a lot of things done,” she said, adding that she, like Mr. Coates, knows little of the challenger. She called Mr. Wichowski a poor campaigner.

“He didn’t get out and learn the community,” she said.

Few voters had that complaint against Mr. Finkbeiner, noted for his tireless, grass-roots campaigning style. Nor did many complain about some of Mr. Finkbeiner’s achievements in his first term.

Achievements were on Archie Fobbs’s mind as he voted at The Plaza. Of Mr. Finkbeiner, he said, “He’s the only one qualified to be mayor. He’s got more time on the job. He’s a pretty good man. He fixed my street. He cleaned my alley. I like that.”

Still, despite the general consensus that the city improved during Mr. Finkbeiner’s tenure, many voters could not support him.

Cathy McClure, a Democrat and a nurse who voted at Glendale-Feilbach school, said the mayor’s inability to get along with others in city government was the reason why Mr. Wichowski got her vote.

“I felt like I’d take a chance,” she said. “I think Carty’s a little abusive.”

Abuse was a popular subject among the anti-Carty crowd.

“He treats people terribly,” said Don Krebs, who voted at Lincolnshire Elementary School in West Toledo. “You can’t do a good job if people don’t like working for you.”

In the end, however, the mayor carried the day.

Perhaps pharmacist Rich Meinke best summed up the feeling of many of the voters who wavered for days over whom to choose.

“I supported Wichowski yesterday, and I wanted to vote for him, but he didn’t have the experience he needed. I think that a lot of people, when they get into the booth, are going to think really hard about this one. And some might change their minds.”